One of the first steps you take when you are determining your gardening schedule is find your USDA Zone info. The most important data that the zone info tells us is average last frost and the lowest expected temperature for your area.

The first opportunity to plant chard in Caledonia can be figured out by reviewing the USDA zone info.

Planting Calendar for Chard

Frost tolerance for chard:	Tolerant of some frost.
When to plant:	Up to 5 weeks before last frost.

Chard can survive in mild cold which tells us that you can plant them a little earlier in the year than more sensitive plants.

The earliest that you can plant chard in Caledonia is February. However, you really should wait until March if you don't want to take any chances.

The last month that you can plant chard and expect a good harvest is probably September. If you wait any later than that and your chard may not have a chance to really do well. Starting your chard indoors is a great way to get them started a couple of weeks earlier.

Last Frost Date

On average all chance of frost has passed is on April 15 in Caledonia. In the coldest months of winter you should expect an average low temperature of -15°F.

Always keep in mind that USDA zone info for Caledonia is an average and the actual date of last frost will vary from year to year. Half of the time in Caledonia it frosts late in the year after April 15 so just be sure to be ready to protect your chard in the event of one of those late frosts.

USDA Zone Info for Caledonia

Here is the info for USDA Zone 5b.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)	April 15
Average Date of First Frost (fall)	October 15
Lowest Expected Low	-15°F
Highest Expected Low	-10°F

This means that on a really cold year, the coldest it will get is -15°F. On most years you should be prepared to experience lows near -10°F.

Plants to Grow in Caledonia

You may be interested in your other planting guides for Caledonia.